Screw-operable drain valve



Aug. 14, 1923. i,4-@.*"

H. B. SHERMAN ET AL SCREW OPERABLE DRAIN VALVE Original Filed Jan. 19.1922 Patented Aug. 14, 1923.

HOWARD B. SHERMAN AND DONALD BIQISS, O

SIG-NORS'TO H. B. SHERMAN MANUFACTURING A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

rarest r BATTLE c-niiir, MICHIGAN, asoo., on BATTLE onnnn, MICHIGBJJ,

SCBE' H-OPER-ABLE DRAIN VALVE.

Original application filed January 19, 1922, Serial No. 539 330. Dividedand this application filed February 19, 1923.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that we, HOWARD B. SHER- MAN and DONALD M. BLIss, citizensof the United States, residing at Battle Creek, in the county of Calhounand State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Screw-Operable Drain Valves; and we hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention is anovel improvement in drain valves especially adaptedfor'use in sprinkler systems for lawns, gardens and the like where anumber of sprinkler heads are located at different points in the sur-.face to be sprinkled and are supplied with water from a common supplypipe, buried beneath such surface. The present application is a divisionof our application for sprinkler head (Case #6703) filed January 19,1922, Serial #530,330.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective meansfor draining the sprinkler headsand supply pipesto prevent damage byfreezing.

The sprinkler heads are located at vari-- ous points in the surface tobewatered and connected with water supply pipes laid beneath thesurface. Ordinarily the supply 1 'pipe must be so laid that it willdrain to a common low point, and this requires great care in laying thesupply pipes; and it is a further object of our present invention toenable the supply pipes to be laid immediately beneath the sod withoutany particular care as to inclination or level and yet enable same to bepositively drained. By the use of our invention the supply pipes can belaid immediately beneath the sod and can follow the contour of theground, and the sprinkler heads can be used at any desired place highor'low; and preferably below each sprinkler head isinstalled one of ournovel drain valves.

In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated one practicalembodiment of the invention and will explain the same with referencethereto, and set forth in the claims the novel features of constructionSerial No. 618,359.

and novel combinations of parts for which protection is desired.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a sprinkler head such as shown inour afore said application, with connections thereof to a supply pipe,and showing our novel dram valve applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 22 Fig. l,'lookingdown on thedrain valve.

F ig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 33 Fig. 1, looking upwards.

Fig. i is a detail sectional view showing the drain valve opened.

In the practical utilization of the invention the water supply pipes arelaid underground, to supply water to the sprinkler heads H which areconnected therewith at any desired intervals.

The sprinkler head H may be of any suitable construction; ut as shownpreferably has a central passage with a conical seat 12 around its upperend. in which see I is a sprayer disk 1 secured in position by anaxially disposed screw 2 passing: through the disk andengaginp; a bridgemember 1 71 in the head. This disk 1 is preferably provided on its underside with radial grooves forming water jet apertures, as explained inour aforesaid application.

The sprinkler heads are connected to the pipe 6 by pipe sections a whichvary in length according to the depth of the pipe 6,. or inequalities inthe surface. Preferably each pipe section lxdSO which is connected asprinkler head. is connected to the up er end of a cross coupling: 5.such as is commonly used in plumbing, which has four branches, thehorizontal branches of this coupling; being connected to sections of thewater supply pipe 6 (which is made in sections extending from onecoupling to another) in the usual manner as indicated in Fig. 1. Theother branches of the cross coupling 5 are perpendicular, and into theupper branch is screwed the lower end of the pipe section 4, to theupper end of which the sprinkler head H is attached; and in the lowervertical branch of the coupling 5 We attach our novel drain valve.

' bore 9 y as desired.

The average lawn is of rolling or uneven character; and in freezingclimates the water should be removed from the pipes to prevent freezing;therefore we provide our novel drain valve for the purpose of drainingeach coupling and pipe when the water is cut olt.

As shown our novel drain valve comprises a tubular plug 9, which isexternally threaded to engage the threads in the lower end of thecoupling 5 and said plug has a central and a conical seat 9 at the upperend of said bore. which is adapted to be closed by the conical valvehead 7 attached to the upper end of a threaded stem 7 adapted to engagean internally threaded part 9 of the bore in plug 9. below the seat 9Said stem T is yneterably flattened on two sides. as shown at 7 in Figs.1 and 3. so that when the valve '2" is slightly unseated as in Fi anywater in the device can pat-Jenni; through the bore 9 in the plugthrough the passages termed between the flattened ot' the stem 7 and thewalls oi the bore shown in Figs. 3 and at. The lower end of the stem 7of valie T is preterably swaged or headed as at 14; to prevent its beingcompletely unscrewed or removed from the plug.

By removing the spraying dish 1 and screw 2. the shank 11 of a nordinary screw driver may be inserted into the device through thethreaded bore 18 of part 123, after the removal or" the disk and screw.andthe valve 7 can be turned to closed position (Fig. 1) or openposition (Fig. i)

and the conical seat 9 serve to direct the end of the screw driver 11accurately into the slot in the drain valve 7 when it is desired toadjustthe valve. This is an important pactical feature especially it thevi 3e section i is lon The sorinkler heads H are ireterab-lv.

placed in the ground so that their upper ends will be flush with theroots o the grass or with the surface of the garden or lawn to besprinkled.

The drain valves should be closed beiore water is turned'into the systembut after the water has been shut off the valves T can be opened todrain out the system. It is not necessary with our drain valve to laythe pipe 6 on any particular grade, as each head H can be drained. asabove described.

hat we claim is: 1. A drain valve for the purpose specified comprising abody provided with a bore hav-' ing a valve seat'at its inner end and athreaded portion below the seat; and a valve member having a threadedshank engaging the threaded part of the bore, and a head adaptedfor'engagement with a manually operable driver and to fit on said seat,substantially as described.

2. A drain valve as set forth in claim 1 having the threaded shankpartly cut away lengthwise to permit flow of water past the shank whenthe valve is unsea-ted, substantially as described.

3. In a drain valve as set torthin claim 1, said threaded shankbeingpartly cut away lengthwise to permit the escape of water through thethreaded part of the plug when the valve is unseated, and means toprevent disengagement ot the valve member from the body when opening thevalve.

l. ln combination a hollow body'having an opening; a plug fitted in saidopening provided with a bore having a valve seat in its inner end, and athreaded portion below the seat; and a valve member having a shankengaging the threaded part of the bore and a head adapted for engagementwith a driver and to fit said seat, thevalve being inanuall openable orclosable by inserting a driver into the body and engaging said head.

A drain 'valve as set forth in claim the valve is unseated, and swagedto prevent disengagement ot the valve member f om the body when openingthe salve.

In combination with a hollow body having a. threaded opening, a screwthread e'd plug fitted in said opening and provided with a bore having avalve seat in its inner end; and a t lrreadedportion below" the seat; avalve member having a flattened shank engagingthe threaded part of the"sore, and a. head adapted to ztit on said valve seat toielose the bore,said head havino anotch for engagement by a screw driver. the valvebeing manually openable or closable by inserting a driver intothe bodyand engaging the slotin said head.

In testimony that we claimthe foregoing our own, we atlix oursignatures.

i-iowrirn n. SHERMAN. DONALD M. BLISS.

